hagar

Hei på dere Since I´m getting older and memory lapses are on the 'plate de jour', Sitting and forgetting practice has become so much easier. Also, I´ve boiled down whatever I´ve been wasting my time doing for the last 25 years as just stopping the struggle. Question for all you people; where can I get good, evidence-based source-material on Zouwang? Preferably in Norwegian, but English will do. h

Nice to see you Steve =) Will mos def look into dzogchen. Read up on it a bit but mostly cerebral stuff. Good to check in. Hope things are well.

Thank you both for those valuable pieces of feedback! - Download complete - Will contact daxuanoslo =) h

It´s been 5 years since my last confession. With our without an enlightened perspective, reality as we know it is changing very fast. Even here in Norway, you do not have to be an epidemologist or climate researcher to realize that things are ending. Living in one of the richest countries in the world, with a solid 1000 billion emergency fund, and socialized medicine, things will dry up very fast. Even if we get out of the pandemic, climate change and economic meltdown will have irreversible, profound effect on the world. I can only imagine the devastation that will unfold in the rest of the world. Modernity as we know it is getting fundamentally reorganized. Its actually fascinating to realize that I was alive when it happened. Saddening and devastating to know I have a son who will live a life looking back towards his childhood as happy times. In such times, just as when a loved one is facing death or serious illness, I feel compelled to contemplate what is real and true. The forest, the mountains, the sound of birds, the breathing of my son when he sleeps. After the devastation, there must be grief for acceptance to grow, However, something miraculous occurs when you tune into the cosmic Energy. The more I listen to it, the more it reveals. Just as serious illness, this crisis is a form of initiation into a mystery. The price for such initiation is loss. Maybe its 5 year until next time; just my 2 kroner

Indeed. You never know. However; past data does not predict future implications. What if this scenario is a true novelty? Although past events of a similar nature indicate that things will turn to the better, we have never encountered the scenario we have now.

My deepest respect for your Work and the monumental task in front of you and all other Health care workers... Will be sending you some Energy from Valhalla.

I was cast into the deepest abysses of the norse netherworlds, far away, beyond time and space, yet arose with only a slight thirst for beer. Great to see you are still active!

Well, Scandinavians are modest... Doing kinda well... in the midst of this thing. But a wounderful time for practice. Hope you are doing good, taking care of yourself and by all means; isolation is a gift!

Wow. I didn´t know I´m missed. For what it´s worth... I kinda miss you too

This is my first post in TTB for some time and the first time I must fundamentally disagree with all previous posters. No disrespect. Up front, martial arts may possibly change 'karma' by protecting others, but beyond that pure martial practice is quite shallow. In my personal experience, 2 separate aims are emphasized in Daoist practices; - Cultivating Life - Cultivating Essence If you cultivate essence (basic nature of mind) you transcend the entire notion of karma or anything that is contingent and subject to time and space. Here Karma is seen as irrelevant for the only true self, which you allready are. So why bother changing it. However, when cultivating life, particularly through Nei Dan, you actually speed up karma. This means that you should be quite prepared and detached when cultivating Nei Dan practices, because they open the subtle channels and alot of energy that allready is conditioned, is given more energy, and will manifest itself. In my experience, I got "more bad karma" by cultivating Nei Dan; meaning things that were set in motion speeded up much more rapidly. So if you want to transcend karma thorugh practice, you cannot do so without not wanting it Either, you see the futile nature of changing the changing Or, you realize that stopping what has allready been set in motion by focusing energy there is also futile However, that insight is very liberating indeed. In both cases you´re allready "fucked". But then again, aren´t we all... h

Hi folks Long time since I´ve been here. I have a question for you wise people: During the last week I have been drinking Chaga tea, and for a couple of nights I have also been plagued with intense nightmares. I rarely have them, and wonder if there is causation and not only correlation. The reason I think there may be a link is that they were particularly vivid, and particularly dark. I have not found anything online that would support this claim. However, I know that mushroom-based effects may, if one "overdose" have a degree of dream induction through it´s high melatonin content. So; if there is a melanin - nightmare link, may I be overdosing on it? h

Thank you. Will take that into consideration. Chaga do have B-vitamins in them, so that may play a role. It´s nothing to be found on the webs, but melanin is (as I understand it) a component that is necessary for producing melatonin, which will make your dreams more vivid taken in excess... Interesting what you said about jinn/spirit. Makes sense from a Daoist perspective h

Nei Dan will probably become diluted if it becomes "trendy", just like various yogas. In my experience, the greatest challenge is authentic transmission. The true texts, and lineages are difficult, if not impossible to discern as there are no way of knowing what is genuine and alive practices from mere techniques. If you find a good teacher, hold on to it like you´ve found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. My Nei Dan teacher changes his teachings continuously, and there are no emphasis on traditional practices. In fact, although the quality of his teachings have continued to evolve and become very direct and effective, people seem not to catch on. In fact, the better the teaching, the more confronting, and less popular it gets. To my own experience, Nei Dan is a process of slowly confronting the false energies in my system. The closer I come to the core pollution, the less I want to practice, and the more scary it becomes. Thus, good Neidan practice is like pulling out a wisdom tooth yourself. It´s really uncomfortable, and not for everyone. Be wary of false teachers. h

Virtue is there in the evil man as well... Virtue is nothing to attain. Virtue is the opposite of gaining anything. It is the opposite of morality. The daoist sage who decided to visit his hermit friend, only to realize that he changed his mine only steps from his friend´s door, he has virtue. h

It seems that starlight refers to the essential, core aspect of our presence. So if that is the astral, then yes

Came late to this topic, but wanted just to share something I found in an old notebook that I used on retreats with my teacher. When opening one random page, something I had forgotten emerged on the page. It was written as a transcribation of what my teacher wanted to convey about the essential teaching of his Nei Dan practice. It just hit me in the stomach. It came alive as I read the words: "When we become cosmic light we reflect starlight Pysical body fades, slight feeling of gathering, pearl of light = Center Inner structure like star Embody cosmic energy and information Realization = true nature of physical presence" Later, I read this more general remark noted down: "Qigong is going back to the root of life The creator is what heals the branches" Just wanted to share this. Maybe not relevant... h

Listened to the Tim Ferriss podcast yesterday, and came across an interview with Wim Hof; who through yogic breathing and cold exposure has been scientifically measured to regulate his body temperature at will and manipulate his immune system. All this by simple pranayama/tummo-ish breathing and cold exposure. What is even better is that he has climbed Everest in shorts and ran a marathon in the Namib desert without any water and holds some pretty gnarly records in ice bathing. Pretty cool dude too, and overcame some tough hardships. Anyways, pretty inspiring and made me all happy to see that this is finally hitting the scientific mainstream and could potentially disrupt both the pharmaceutical industry and more importantly the biomedical paradigm of reductionism and decartianism that we have been suffering under throught the Dark ages after the Enlightenment. Check out the Vice doc: http://www.vice.com/en_uk/video/iceman

I feel you, and understand what you mean. I had to take my cat to the vet 3 days ago, and put him to rest. He had gotten a terminal illness, and his health was rapidly declining. I was there when he got his injection. It broke my heart. Innocent. Seeing the light in his eyes slowly going out. He trusted me. Going up the stairs to take him with me I broke out in tears. A little loving spark in the universe. One moment there, then he fades out, and is forever gone. h

This a slight thread hijack, but just a comment on the role and impact of how metaphors and models of the energetic system in the body affects people´s interpretations of their experiences, and how they motivate themselves or sabotage their progress; The sexual energy, (part of the jing) is often referred to as "fuel" for the system. However, It took me a long time to realize that this is not the case. The sexual energy is more like an expression that the true water or Jing can take in it´s manifest form. Seeking to work with sexual energy is like trying to work with gasoline after it has gone through the combustion process in the cylinder of the engine. Better to look at how to get more gas, and what to do with it before you turn the engine on. A lot of stuff can still steer you off course, and not even get you out of the parking lot. In reality, the detrimental effects of sexual indulgence happens long before the issue of semen and retention actually comes up. It happens when you put the foot on the gas pedal...on the wrong road, or without knowing where you are going. Your intentions, longings, cravings, and thoughts... If you know the actual destination of your car, (you) and use your fuel wisely through navigating past all detours, and knowing where you are going, this is true cultivation. Which means that tuning the system (car) into the right road (home), and using the most direct and safest route (map) is about not focusing on all the backroads that look interesting, but know that you already have a short amount of gas and time to use. It´s ongoing work to drive home. If you want to truly transform and cultivate Jing, and also Chi and Shen, place more emphasis on being aware of what you are longing for and why. If this is really taken to it´s ultimate consequence, a lot of issues around sexual retention will dissolve. If you are making retention an obstacle, it will become one. If not, it really is just one of a large mosaic of practices and energies in the body that needs to be balanced and kept wakeful awareness on. The metaphor is actually pretty bad, I don´t know if this really helps anyone... h

The left side does put slightly more pressure on the heart, yet it prevents nocturnal emissions more efficiently according to my teacher. I did not however get the whole explanation why. It works though. h

Why at all do you want to cultivate just Jing? Sleep on your left side as much as possible. h

If you have the essential light totally integrated, probably you do not need to sleep. h

When the Shen is fully integrated into the body, and cultivated for a long period of time, you might not sleep much. But to focus on not sleeping as a goal itself is like trying to fly with a feather in each hand. It´s not only impossible, but also a waste of time. What often is overlooked in such "attainments" is the notion of spontaneity. Certain powers or phenomena in the body occur as a byproduct, spontaneously. Like the water boiling. It´s more like a natural law. Getting good quality sleep every night, feeling fully rested; that is a superpower, and something your body will be much more grateful for. Sleep is such a blessing. Total abandonment, letting go. No self, no trouble, no life situation. No other. Sleep is one of life´s greatest gifts. The great rejuvenator. I have seen many practitioners in my system working hard on their practice. After some days on a retreat, they finally get in touch of their lack of sleep, and some might sleep for days. When they finally reappear, they look 10 years younger. Most people seek in energy practices what they naturally would get if they only slept enough. No practice, no effort. Sleep is pure grace. h

I have only one advice: If you want to progress spiritually with your particular precondition; don´t meditate. h

Well I´ve been using yours, so that´s just fair